California Democrats Introduce Constitutional Amendment to ‘Enshrine Right to Abortion’

Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) and Legislative Democrats, in partnership with Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) California, announced Wednesday their intent to introduce a Constitutional Amendment to “enshrine the ‘Right to Abortion, Contraception.'”

Following the leaked United States Supreme Court draft decision in which the Court voted to overturn the federal landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision and send the issue back to the states to decide, Democrats and the left claim abortion rights are being struck down, and they are suffering “countless attacks on reproductive freedom and abortion access.”

The reaction to the impending decision was mass hysteria and hyperbole by abortion proponents and activists – and California Democrats. Notably, California has the most Planned Parenthood facilities of any state in the U.S. “Of the 862,320 abortions performed in the U.S. that year [2017], 132,680, or about 15%, were in California,” Planned Parenthood says.

Almost immediately, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a father of four, jumped on the band wagon following the leaked decision: “Our daughters, sisters, mothers, and grandmothers will not be silenced,” Newsom tweeted. The world is about to hear their fury. California will not sit back. We are going to fight like hell.”

And Democrats vowed to draft and pass legislation to “to protect the right to abortion in the state constitution.”

Last November 2021, Planned Parenthood reported Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democratic legislative leaders “have asked a group of reproductive health experts to propose policies to bolster the state’s abortion infrastructure and prepare it for more patients.”

“Abortion providers are already girding for a surge in demand,” they said months ahead of the leaked decision.

They planned ahead on this issue, obviously anticipating how the Supreme Court would rule.

“Planned Parenthood clinics in California say they already serve about 7,000 out-of-state patients a year and are expecting a surge of new ones, especially in travel hubs like the Los Angeles area,” Planned Parenthood reported.

Flash Forward to June 2022:

According to Pro Tem Atkins who was the director of a San Diego women’s health clinic in the 1980s, and claims she spent time with women from states where it was hard to get an abortion, “The legislation is intended to protect the right to abortion in the state constitution, given the pending U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and the leaked draft majority opinion that highlights a federal erosion of the right to abortion as protected for nearly 50 years under Roe v. Wade.”

I was in my 20’s in the 1980’s – there was no shortage of abortion services available to women from all walks of life in California, and many other states. It wasn’t the 1950’s.

“Too many times, history has shown us that human rights must be enshrined in the constitution so that no one can infringe upon them. This is one such historic moment, and it must be met with a historic response,” Pro Tem Atkins said. “It is our duty as legislators to fight for the people of California and their right to make decisions about their own bodies and access critical health care. This constitutional amendment is the additional armor we need for that battle.”

Atkins claims “California has a long history of leadership in protecting reproductive freedom and providing reproductive services to women, pregnant people, and families.”

“Reproductive services” and “reproductive freedom” mean abortion. Women have had access to contraceptives for more than 55 years – since the “the pill” was approved in 1960. Abortion, which is a surgical procedure to remove the unborn baby from the mother’s womb and take its life, is another story altogether and not “contraception.” And Roe v. Wade was passed in 1973 “enshrining” abortion throughout the country.

“The SCA introduction follows a host of legislation introduced this year—the Legislative Women’s Caucus has a package of bills aimed at expanding and protecting reproductive rights for Californians and those who may need to come here to seek critical health care,” Pro Tem Atkins’ statement says. “The 2022-23 state budget proposals currently being negotiated by the Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom also prioritize more than $125 million for a range of reproductive health allocations.”

SCA 10 is being fast-tracked and will be heard in policy committees next week. Floor votes by both houses are needed by June 30 to qualify for the November ballot. SCA 10 requires a two-thirds majority vote of both the Senate and Assembly, to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot.